Rutger was willing to bet everything he had that Anita had shed more tears over books than she ever had over real-life events.

That’s why, instead of explaining his messy family situation to her, Rutger simply stared at her face.

“W-What?”

But today, Anita’s reaction was strange. Normally, she would’ve met his gaze with wide, sparkling eyes, as if she were looking at a rare gemstone. But now, Anita Rodel was the first to look away. She stared intently at the ground, avoiding his eyes altogether.

“Did you pick up a new hobby of observing weeds?”

“…You’re stepping on the grass. Could you move your foot? It looks sad.”

Whether she meant to or not, with her head bowed low, her hair cast a shadow over her face. Rutger leaned down and brought his face closer to hers.

“Why won’t you look me in the eye?”

Anita flinched when he got closer, her body trembling slightly as she ran her hands through her hair, messing it up further. Her now-tangled black hair covered more than half of her face like a wild bush.

“Look you in the eyes? Why?”

Anita was trying to act calm, but her voice trembled miserably. When Rutger’s suspicious gaze caught a glimpse of her flushed cheeks through the tangled hair, she let out a loud, awkward cough.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but if you don’t want to go home, you could stay over there.”

Still keeping her head down, Anita raised her hand and pointed to the treehouse behind her.

“You… by any chance…”

Rutger wasn’t really listening to her words. His eyes remained fixed on the visible part of her flushed cheek through her messy hair.

“You don’t like it? Well, in that case, I’ll just go and tell Mr. Baylan you’re here…”

“You’re always in such a rush.”

Half-listening to her, Rutger snapped back to attention when he heard the word “Baylan” come out of her mouth. Whatever it was, the last thing he wanted was Anita Rodel going to that man.

“Fine, let’s go.”

Rutger turned away from her and headed into the garden. He heard the soft rustling of leaves behind him, which quickly shifted into the sound of footsteps. Once he was out of earshot, he let out a low sigh. He could only hope he was mistaken. But deep down, he knew Anita Rodel’s current behavior all too well to chalk it up to mere misunderstanding.

As unpleasant as it might sound to others, Rutger Baylan was fully aware that he had quite the attractive appearance. He hadn’t exactly wanted to acknowledge it, but thanks to the persistent girls his age who followed him around, it had been hard not to notice.

Good looks don’t last forever, though. Heindel Baylan had once been handsome too, but years of irregular habits, heavy smoking, and drinking had taken their toll on him.

The thought left Rutger feeling irritated. Was Anita Rodel only following him around and pestering him because of his looks? It had to be. Every time she saw him, she’d gush about how beautiful his eyes were, comparing them to the sea.

So, if someday he no longer looked the way he did now, would Anita Rodel not even give him a second glance?

He instinctively lifted his leg to kick a stone lying on the ground, but then he paused. Why was he getting annoyed?

The leg he had pulled back to kick the stone returned quietly to its place. There was no reason for him to be angry.

“You’re so slow. Are you planning to stand there all day?”

Rutger turned to hurry Anita along, noticing she was still standing behind him.

“…Didn’t you just say I was too hasty?”

Anita’s voice had a faint trace of amusement as she walked past him. Her hair, now neatly arranged, was no longer as messy as before.

“You just stay here.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t even know how to climb a ladder.”

“I do.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Rutger scoffed, then placed one foot on the first rung of the ladder.

Once up in the treehouse, Rutger grabbed the rope ladder and hesitated for a moment. Should he just pull it up? That way, he wouldn’t have to watch Anita Rodel clumsily climb up, making everyone nervous.

“What’s wrong?”

Anita was looking up at him with a puzzled expression. Their eyes met, and Rutger let go of the rope ladder without a second thought. This treehouse belonged to Anita Rodel, after all, and he was just a guest staying for the night.

He wasn’t the type to cause trouble as a guest in someone else’s home.

Thankfully, this time, she managed to climb up without any incident. As Rutger glanced around the interior, which he was seeing for the first time, Anita confidently walked to a corner of the treehouse and pulled something out from under the floorboards.

“A sleeping bag?”

“Yeah. You’re staying the night here, aren’t you?”

The sleeping bag was just the beginning. Anita bustled around, pulling all sorts of random things from the corners of the treehouse.

“If something happens, blow this.”

“…You even have a whistle?”

Somehow, Anita had handed him everything, from biscuits to a canteen. Finally satisfied, she nodded and grabbed the rope ladder again.

“…”

Once Anita’s dark head of hair disappeared from his sight, Rutger sank into the sleeping bag. It was unnecessarily soft. As he tried to piece together how he ended up in this situation, Anita’s head suddenly popped back up through the trapdoor in the floor.

“Sorry, I forgot to give you a lantern.”

She handed him the lantern, and just when he thought it was finally over, Anita returned again.

“At this rate, you won’t finish everything tonight. Why don’t you just stay here and sleep?”

She hadn’t meant it seriously. With her head already a mess, listening to Anita Rodel chatter all night would only make things worse.

“I’d love to, but if I break curfew, my wrist will probably be wrapped in bandages by tomorrow”

Anita muttered with a hint of self-deprecation as she climbed down the rope ladder. She knew all too well what might happen if she came home late.

Rutger stared in disbelief at the spot where she’d disappeared. He glanced several times at the treehouse’s trapdoor, half expecting her to return. But Anita Rodel didn’t come back.

Sitting in the sleeping bag, Rutger flicked the lantern’s light on and off a few times before standing up and walking over to the window.

He saw Anita’s figure slowly trudging across the lawn. For some reason, her retreating figure looked sad, and that didn’t sit well with him.

Rutger turned the lantern back on and directed its beam toward her. When they had been talking, the sun was setting, but now it was pitch dark.

Anita stopped when the round pool of light appeared at her feet. After a moment of standing still, as if trying to figure out what was going on, she turned toward him. She squinted, shielding her eyes with her hand from the bright light as she peered up at him through the window.